Call for Papers – Books Have Their Histories: Medieval Chronicles and Their Scribes, Manuscripts, and Early Editions

Books Have Their Histories: Medieval Chronicles and Their Scribes, Manuscripts, and Early Editions – In Memory of Lister M. Matheson
International Medieval Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo, Michigan: May 9-12, 2013.

Lister Matheson (1948-2012; Professor of English and Medieval Studies, Michigan State University) was a major scholar in many fields, but two of his most important scholarly legacies lie in the arenas of medieval chronicle studies (including the Middle English Prose Brut and the relation of chronicles to medieval literary traditions) and early book and manuscript studies (in a wide variety of content areas, from historical writing and popular legends to scientific texts and ownership/biographical studies). He was a frequent and fondly-remembered participant in many Medieval Congresses over the years, both as a speaker and as an organizer and chair of sessions.

Papers for these memorial sessions should be united by the broad theme of the medieval presentation of history and the codicological settings through which that history was transmitted. Papers may focus on various aspects of later medieval chronicles; manuscripts and printed texts linked to medieval historical writings; the scribes, printers, owners, or commissioners of such texts; and similar topics. As Professor Matheson’s own work has shown, a full understanding of medieval historical texts demands attention to both the content of the works in question — which could vary quite significantly depending on the needs or interests of the users of those texts — and the material circumstances of producing those works. Papers illuminating these connections shou
ld be of interest to historians, literary specialists, and/or early book scholars, inter alia.